Generally, for the release of a neurotransmitter, a synaptic vesicle containing the neurotransmitter is required to be fused with a presynaptic membrane so that a passage between two boundaries can be formed. Herein, a fundamental force for such membrane fusion is provided by SNARE complexes comprising three kinds of proteins. Particularly, when a release passage of a neurotransmitter is generated by membrane fusion between a synaptic vesicle and a presynaptic membrane, a t-SNARE complex (a complex of a syntaxin-1a protein, and a SNAP-25 protein) attached to a target membrane forms a parallel coiled with a v-SNARE attached to a vesicle. Such SNARE proteins are twisted in a spiral shape. In the membrane fusion, rearrangement of a lipid bilayer, which is widely known in the art, occurs. Since biomembranes strongly repel against each other, the membranes cannot be automatically merged, and thus a strong external force is required to overcome the repulsive force between the membranes. Herein, SNARE proteins generate such a strong force enough to overcome the repulsive force between the membranes. In other words, the formation of a SNARE complex is a force generator to overcome a repulsive power between membranes, and a main action in exocytosis including release of a neurotransmitter. Meanwhile, a neuromuscular junction in the upper layer of muscles acts to regulate the relaxation and constriction of muscles, and the nerve terminal is filled with synaptic vesicles. BoNT (Botulinum neurotoxin; hereinafter referred to as “Botox”) is a protease for cleavage of a SNARE protein, which is a main protein involved in the release of a neurotransmitter. Botox cleaves a SNARE protein to block neurotransmission, which results in paralysis of Botox-penetrated muscle cells. Botox irreversibly cleaves the SNARE protein to blocks neurotransmission, whereas so-called “applicable Botox” is a kind of competitive inhibitor that inhibits the formation of a SNARE complex to interfere with neurotransmission. Argireline that is the main component of an applicable botox product currently has disadvantages in that its effect is not reliable, its price is unfavorable due to the characteristics of the synthetic peptide and it is not consumer-friendly.
Developing a neurotransmission inhibitor based on a natural extract can provide a raw material that is significantly inexpensive compared to a peptide material, and a final product produced from the natural extract is consumer-friendly. Thus, the natural extract is easily industrially applied compared to peptide materials.
Meanwhile, a medicinal herb processing technique that is a traditional oriental medicine manufacturing technique is called “Po-je”, “Hap-hwa”, “Hap-yak”, “Su-chi”, “Po-ja”, “Beob-je” and “Su-sa” in Korean. This technique can be defined as a medicine manufacturing technique of changing the inherent properties of medicinal herbs by processing the medicinal herbs on the basis of the oriental medicine theory.
The processing of medicinal herbs includes selection of correct medicine, removal of impurities, purification, heating, processing employing aids, etc. In some cases, medicinal herbs are processed together with aids suitable for medical applications in order to achieve the administration of medicine according to disease. Because various aids are used in the processing of medicinal herbs, they have different properties and effects, and thus the processed medicinal herbs show different effects. Aids which are currently used in the processing of medicinal herbs are various and broadly divided into liquid aids and solid aids. The liquid aids include liquor, vinegar, brine, honey, ginger juice, licorice juice, black bean juice, saline solution, rice water, horse oil, milk, children urine, and lime water. The solid aids include rice, wheat bran, alum, bean-curd, soil, seashell powder, and sand.
The processing medicinal herbs is carried out to clarify medicines, facilitate the storage of medicines, reduce or remove the toxicity or side effects of medicines, change the properties of medicines to make the medicines more effective, enhance the therapeutic effects of medicines, and the offensive odor and taste of medicines to facilitate the intake of the medicines.
Skin wrinkles are the most noticeable sign of skin aging which occurs due to intrinsic factors, such as aging and stress, or external environmental factors such as air pollution and UV radiation. Wrinkles occur on facial areas, such as the forehead, eye rims, eyebrow, and peri-oral areas, and various portions of the body, such as a neck, neck circumferences, elbows, armpits, hands, and feet. Wrinkles generally start to become visible after about 30 years old, and the number or depth thereof increase with aging. Such wrinkles are considered to occur mainly because reactive oxygen species produced in skin tissues by a skin aging crosslink collagen fibers and elastic fibers forming the majority of the skin dermis to change the production and degradation of such fibers. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and glutathione, which are used to inhibit skin aging, radical scavengers, or substances such as vitamin A, which increase the synthesis of dermal collagen, have been used to reduce skin wrinkles. However, such cosmetic active ingredients have disadvantages in that they are mostly strongly irritating to the skin or are unstable in formulations to cause discoloration, bad smell and precipitation, and the inherent activity thereof decreases.
Recently, in order to reduce skin irritation of various chemicals, various cosmetics based on natural materials have been developed. Such natural materials have reduced adverse effects on the skin and also have high consumer preference, and thus their value as cosmetic materials is gradually increasing.